New heads to be named for National Police, Gendarmerie and GDCOC

The directors of the General Directorates National Police, Combating Organised Crime, and Gendarmerie, Special Operations and Counter-Terrorism have been dismissed by order of caretaker Interior Minister Emil Dechev, the Interior Ministry said, as quoted by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA).

Those removed from their posts are Chief Commissioner Zahari Vaskov, head of the National Police; Chief Commissioner Boyan Raev, head of the General Directorate Combating Organised Crime (GDCOC); and Chief Commissioner Nikolay Nikolov, head of the General Directorate Gendarmerie, Special Operations and Counter-Terrorism.

The ministry said the names of the new heads of the directorates will be announced at a later stage. The selection criteria will include authority, integrity and extensive professional experience.

So far, 23 of the Interior Ministry’s 28 regional directors have also been replaced. The remaining directors will stay in their posts for the time being, caretaker Interior Minister Emil Dechev said a few days ago.

He added that a plan for the ministry’s work in connection with the upcoming elections has already been prepared and is being implemented.

Editor: Miglena Ivanova